


stay with me and hold my hand, there's no need to be brave.

by unsealie



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caregiver Aiden, Caregiver Eskel, Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Little Lambert, Non-Sexual Age Play, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Sick Character, aiden is alive and well in this one, their romantic relationship is implied but not discussed, they just love lamb!! and care for him like he deserves!!, this is all very gentle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27359740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsealie/pseuds/unsealie
Summary: Lambert has been regressing consistently with Eskel as his caregiver over the years. Winter has become his time to be soft, to be little, and he finds that this simply isn't enough. Enter Aiden, someone who loves Lambert as much as Eskel does and is willing to be his caregiver, too.A 5+1 fic where Lambert regresses, and his caregivers learn.
Relationships: Aiden & Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden/Eskel/Lambert (The Witcher), Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher), Eskel & Aiden (The Witcher), Eskel & Lambert (The Witcher), Eskel/Lambert (The Witcher)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 55





	stay with me and hold my hand, there's no need to be brave.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is completely SFW and will not discuss any NSFW content. the romantic relationship between aiden, lambert, and eskel is implied but not brought up in this fic. their relationship while lambert is regressed is completely platonic. all parties are consenting and aware of what is going on <3
> 
> the title is modified lyrics from mitski's song i will.

The Path had been incredibly lonely that year. Normally, Lambert would have ran into Aiden at least twice by now, maybe even Eskel or Geralt. Every few weeks he would have had the company of a familiar face, someone to laugh with until they inevitably went their separate ways. But it was already mid summer and he hadn’t seen  _ anyone _ .

Setting up camp that night felt like a chore. He felt like he had lead for limbs as he forced himself to get a fire started and set up his small bedroll, but even his exhaustion couldn’t get rid of the odd, tight feeling in his gut. He was tired but on edge, something keeping him from relaxing fully. There was no danger around, nothing to hurt him here but his own mind. 

So why, why was everything so tense?

The repetition of his nightly camping routine helped him settle down some. He tugged a soft worn blanket out of his pack, laying it over his bedroll. It certainly wasn’t cold enough to need another blanket, but he wanted to feel better. He let himself indulge in this childish comfort, something Eskel surely would have praised him for.

Oh. Maybe that’s the problem, he thought.

He hadn’t regressed since winter. He had slowly gotten used to only regressing during the colder months spent in Kaer Morhen, but seeing his friends and his caregiver on the Path had made it so much easier to wait until the next winter. This year, he had been dreadfully alone.

He wanted to be little now, but the thought of being little by himself was terrifying, especially when he was hidden away in the depths of the woods. What would he do if a monster got him? Or bandits? His papa wouldn’t be there to protect him, and the thought scared him more than he thought it would.

Lambert shook his head quickly and shucked off his armour and boots, slipping into his bedroll. He’d be fine, and when he woke up in the morning, he could forget any of this happened. He tucked himself in, curling in on himself. He was allowed to have this on his own sometimes, even if he knew better than to regress when he could be in danger. 

He didn’t care, not right now. His papa wasn’t here to reprimand him. 

No one had to know.

And so he got himself settled, grabbing the extra blanket and bundling it up, creating a makeshift toy to hold. One of the loose ends made it into his mouth, and he fell asleep easily after that. 

\---

Lambert woke when the sun shone down on his face, groaning at how bright it was. He forced his pupils to contract, sitting up and looking around. He immediately noticed the presence of a person, someone who certainly hadn’t asked to spend the night at his camp, and his sword was in his hand before he had a chance to see who it was. He was disoriented, floating somewhere between startlingly little and uncomfortably big. He had no chance of winning this fight, but he had to try. Papa would be awfully upset if he didn’t make it home for winter. “What are-”

“Morning, little one,” said a deep, familiar voice. Hearing it had Lambert dropping his sword, scrambling to stand up. 

“Papa!” Lambert cried, throwing himself into Eskel’s arms, hands making fists in his shirt. “Papa, you came! What- How did you find me? Why are you here?”

Arms wrapped tight around him and Lambert thought that he wanted this forever. He wanted Eskel to always be with him, even if he knew it wasn’t possible. That didn’t stop him from hoping. 

“Little birdy told me that you were a bit out of it at the last town, so I thought I’d check up on my sweet boy. What’s going on, Lamb?”

It was embarrassing, really. How Lambert had fallen apart because he hadn’t seen his friends or Eskel in while. But he knew Eskel, and he knew he wouldn’t judge him for this. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of. Papa always said he was allowed to feel things, too, even if he doesn’t know where they come from.

“I- Normally I see all of my friends by now,” Lambert explained, his vocabulary getting simpler as he slipped into his younger headspace, “and I was feeling lonely. No Aiden and no papa and no Geralt.” No one. Lambert had passed through town after town, taking contracts where he could, and the only people he had been bumping into were townsfolk who tended to get aggressive before he even opened his mouth. “Just missed everyone. I couldn’t help it, being little.”

There was a sad look in Eskel’s eyes when Lambert finally pulled his face away from his shoulder. “But it’s okay,” he said quickly, wanting to make that sadness go away. “You’re here now!”

“Yeah, I’m here now. I think I’ll stay with you for a little while, how does that sound, baby?”

Lambert was quick to nod. “Sound good, papa,” he said, clambering into Eskel’s lap and making himself comfortable. Eskel’s warmth and scent surrounded him and he sighed, melting fully into the arms holding him. 

Regressing hadn’t always been easy. It had taken years for Lambert to trust Eskel with this, with him in his most vulnerable state. But every time he fell into Eskel’s arms, he felt  _ safe _ , something that was a rarity in the life of a Witcher. 

“Lamb.” Eskel’s voice vibrated through Lambert’s cheek where it was pressed against the other’s chest and he smiled, pushing his face into the feeling. “Lamb, silly, it’s time to get up. Not snuggle time.”

“Always snuggle time,” Lambert muttered, wrapping his arms tighter around Eskel’s middle. “Not time to get up, papa. So early, I’m already falling back asleep.”

Eskel shook his head fondly, leaning down to kiss Lambert’s forehead. “Only for a little, okay, Lamb? Then we’ve got to get up. Papa saw a stream not too far away, and I think someone needs a bath.” 

It was still early, he thought. Maybe they could get away with sleeping a little bit longer.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed! comments and kudos are appreciated <3


End file.
